EXCERPT: “Trump’s budget request for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) eliminates two block grant programs in their entirety that state and local governments use to fund affordable housing and infrastructure projects. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program allocates $3 billion annual to such projects, while the HOME Investment Partnerships program gives communities a little less than $1 billion annually.The administration’s rationale for cutting these programs is that they’ve ‘failed to demonstrate effectiveness,’while also making a vague reference to wanting to give more authority to state and local governments ‘that are better equipped to respond to local conditions.’ In fact, these programs allocate funds to state and local governments to use as they see fit given local conditions anyway.” FULLSTORY: http://bit.ly/2Er6GQT